After a chaotic off-season, the Vancouver Whitecaps are returning to MLS action on Sunday against the Portland Timbers. After the frustrating display against Deportivo Saprissa in the Champions League to start the season, Jesper Sorensen will be hoping to show off the strengths of his side in league action for the first time. The Whitecaps travel to Providence Park to take on a Portland Timbers side seeking revenge after being demolished 5-0 by a Ryan Gauld masterclass in the playoffs last year.

This fixture is also a crucial game in the Cascadia Cup. Portland won that trophy last year in an extremely tight race but this year each side only plays 4 matches in this trophy instead of 6. Every game in this trophy will be more significant in determining the outcome, and hopefully the Whitecaps can reclaim the trophy they last won in 2023.

Portland Timbers

Phil Neville’s side have had an interesting off-season, with the main news being the departure of Evander to FC Cincinnati. Losing his 15 goals and 15 assists in MLS from last season will likely be a huge blow to the Timbers. They have replaced him with David da Costa, a Portuguese attacking midfielder from RC Lens. Da Costa has had a limited impact on Lens’ season, only playing in 11 games and not completing 90 minutes all season. He hasn’t featured in any of the Timbers’ preseason friendlies, and Neville has hinted may not start on Sunday, but his impact will be significant on determining their success over the season.

Aside from that move, the Timbers have added some quality players. Kevin Kelsey has joined in the attack, whilst South Americans Joao Ortiz and Jimer Forey join Ariel Lassiter as new additions to the squad.

Portland held a 2-1-1 record against MLS sides in the off-season and based off the formations used in their two most recent preseason friendlies, we can expect the Timbers to line up in a 5-3-2 system. Maxime Crepeau started the most recent friendly against Charlotte FC, which Portland lost 2-0, although James Pantemis played the play off fixture last season and has started other friendlies.

The Timbers might be focusing on improving their defence, after shipping 56 goals in MLS regular season play last season as well as the 5 scored by Vancouver in that play off game. The most recent friendly line up saw Diego Chara, David Ayala and new signing Joao Ortiz in midfield. None of those midfielders are more known for defensive play than causing a threat going forward, so I imagine da Costa will play, either from the start or as an impact substitute if Portland are chasing the game.

In attack, Felipe Mora and Jonathan Rodriguez will offer a forward threat, having scored 14 and 16 MLS goals respectively last season, although they were aided massively by Evander’s assists. Kevin Kelsey may also start, having recently arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk after spending last season on loan at FC Cincinnati.

Vancouver Whitecaps

As off-seasons go, this one has been chaotic from the Vancouver Whitecaps. The owners announced that they were looking to sell the club, Jesper Sorensen replaced Vanni Sartini as the Head Coach, and summer signing DP Stuart Armstrong decided to leave for Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite this, Vancouver are still in a strong, win-now position. Elements of the system that tore Portland to shreds last time out are still in place, and with the editions of Jayden Nelson, Emmanuel Sabbi and Daniel Rios, the Whitecaps are likely to be more threatening going forward than they were for most of last season, although Sabbi and Rios are not available for this match. Vancouver are also likely to attempt to control possession, a system that may enable the likes of Pedro Vite and Ryan Gauld to have the most influence on the game.

The Deportivo Saprissa game was disappointing. There were moments where the Whitecaps looked like a quality side, especially in possession, but they were undone by a moment of brilliance and a lapse in defensive concentration.

We can expect some rotation from that game, and perhaps Isaac Boehmer will get the nod in net, although I won’t be surprised if it is Yohei Takaoka who starts on Sunday either. I would expect the backline to remain similar, although perhaps Sorensen makes some changes at fullback.

Andres Cubas should be expected to play on Sunday, and he’ll likely be joined by Pedro Vite. The final spot is more up for grabs, and it could be any of Ralph Priso, Sebastian Berhalter, Jeevan Badwal and J.C. Ngando starting.

New signing Emmanuel Sabbi has suffered an injury before the season starts, so if it’s not Ali Ahmed, Jayden Nelson is likely to be the attacker offering pace and stretching the Portland backline. Damir Kreilach is also out injured, and Daniel Rios has only just started training with the team, meaning the attack will almost certainly be completed by Brian White and Ryan Gauld.

Prediction

Although the Whitecaps have lost Stuart Armstrong, this off-season has not seen a major change from last seasons squad. Vancouver won 2, drew 1 and lost 1 of the four league games against the Timbers last season, and barring Sorensen’s more possession-based changes having a drastically negative impact on the way the team play, I am optimistic that Vancouver will get a positive result and start the 2025 MLS season and Cascadian Cup off to a winning start.